The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-04-07
Snow Shoe Iramping.

The snow haa come to stay. |
have q pair OF them in my closet
now that will stay there until / get
9 chance to sell them. They cos,
me four dollars and fifty cents, and
/ am in receipt of just about twenty
cents worth of fun from them in
three seasons. To be sure, that
.sD't the snow-shoes' fault. Last
year we had six inches of snow
and the year before we didn't have
to speak of. Next year, l
think we shall have some along in
March-perhaps enough to start
the maple sap running.
| took my first tramp on snow
shoes when there were six inches OF
snow on the ground. That was
asst winter. l tramped down to the
end Of the garden, and was trans
ported with delight. | had 20 idea
snow shoeipg vas so easy. Before
| started back, being somewhat out
IF breath, and a little lame in the
calves, took of the snow shoes and
carried them on my shoulder. Ii
was delighted at first, l was en-
raptured then. I never realized be
fore how easy walking was,
| have experimental somewhat
with snow shoes, and find that tbs
best places to use them are on the
solid ice, and in the middle
of the road. I once belong
ed to our town snow shoe club
When the boys used to start out fol
a tramp, they always walked in the
hollow beside the road, rather than
climb fences. One moonlight nigh
noticed it was looking pretty
smooth and nice up the road, SO
got up there. was surprised Il
find what 80 improvement it wa
and ! called all the fellows up
We walked for quite distanc'
| there, and finally, took my snow
shoes off, and discovered that it wa
great relief. walk along com
fortably in my moccaslns, and go
about two miles ahead of the club
| Then [ sat down to wait. Whei
the boys came up, they challenged
me to race across the fields home
said "All right. Wait until
leave my snow-shoes in this barn.
l then got over the fence and RAJ
through the snow, reaching HON
about an hour and quarter ahea'
of the club. The next day | said
"Boys, must..resign, unless you Wi
let me join your tramps withou
the formality of show shoes" Fhe'
wouldn' t do it; so | resigned.
| have seen suue races OH snow
! shoes, but | never saw any sue
contest on the actual, unbeate
snow. They alHays take plsce o
the ice, or on a hard track. | hav
often wondered why it would nc
do Just as well to tie half poun
weight to each mans foot, or els
call it an obstruction race to begj
with?
like 10 see man with pair c
snow shoes on getting over fence
He approaches it as one would
long lost friend, with arms out
stretched and face wreathed i
smiles. lie grasps the top rail o
board. rs the case may be, aad Gle
Yates one of his beautiful Chicag
fats TO the second board or rail fFoI
the bottom. Then be tucks hl
| snow shoe as far as he can, pulls Is
boriously up and ineerts c fiat nun
Der two. Now comes the tug OF
war-the grand pas de fascination
He is to get G. dat number on
over the top OF the fence. II
nerves. himself, sidles along LITTLE
disengages fat number one, turn
the toe in, Indian fashion, execute
a grand upward flourish, misses hi
aim! The unwieldly snow sho
comes back with rush, snatche
the man from the fence, catches ii
tail in the snow, involves man, Chi
cGgos number two, snow bank, por
lions of fence, red mIttens and sew
eral other Things in a CRANE mele
Of confusion, and finally become
the only prominent feature of th
landscape, sticking up patheticall